Bloom Time

 I worked hard getting my gardens ready for winter. I trimmed them down, added mulch in some places. And then this happened. The irises are blooming.

And so is the primrose 

And the red rose. 

And lastly, the geranium. 

They just don't know they're soon to get frosted and frozen. 

Enjoy the sunshine, Sue

I'll Show You Mine

 And hopefully you'll show me yours. 

I mean your first hooked rug. 

Here's mine. 

It's a Difranza pattern called Cat in the Garden. It's hooked in a 6 and that was considered a wide cut. Most everyone else in the class was working with 3's and 4's. It's  very simple and basic. The background is actually a very light buttery yellow. It was early 2000's and I took classes from Shirley Bloom in Shelby, Ohio. Shirley liked to teach fine cuts. She tolerated those of us who wanted primitive rugs. 

The cat is hooked with a piece of plaid separating out the lighter from the darker strips. And I remember her changing the border to be simpler than the original. The loops are very low. Boy do I hook very differently these days. 

It's not my favorite piece, but I treasure it as it's my first. Shirley was my first teacher and she was good to me. She asked me to help organize her patterns and wool. In exchange she gave me a Fraser cutter, patterns (on burlap), and wool. I so appreciated this as I was a single parent raising 4 kids. And I found out much later she "helped" several women get started. She was a kind soul. 

A couple of years later I was able to go to Barb Carroll 's for a three day retreat. And I fell even more in love with rug hooking. After hooking at Barb's I find I rarely use anything but a textured wool. 

Lately I haven't been hooking much. Or sewing. Summer was busy with gardening and yardwork. That's pretty much come to an end. Almost. There's still some clean up and leaves to deal with. 

I had a class with Kris Miller in September. She's fun. The class was on letters and eyes. Of which my rug had neither. But I listened and learned. 

I started this antique adaption of a purple bird. There was a pattern for sale on Etsy, but it was big. So I did my best and drew it up to be 14" square. I'm going to use it as a pillow. I've completed the hooking, and am in the process of sewing the back on. One side down, three to go. 

 

The back is a lovely gray and purple plaid. 

Last night was trick or treat. I walked with my two young grandchildren. It was Kip's first time, many costumes frightened him.  But he sure did like getting that candy. Kip just turned 2 and doesn't talk much. He knows simple sign language. I found it amazing that numerous people knew he was signing and signed back to him. 

After those few days back in the 70's, it is a chilly and cloudy day. Typical Ohio. 

What a Pretty Morning

 

The sky is an unusually bright color coming through the window. So I went outside to see why. 

What a beautiful sky.

The trees are all showing their glory. 

Some of my trees are already bare. 

And some are glorious. 

The wood is all stacked and ready for that dreaded cold weather. 

Enjoy this day.

Sue

New Post for Lauren

 So,.... My friend, Lauren, you know Lauren, has been telling me I need to post. This is me today. 

I spent the day with Kip. He stays with me on Tuesdays. He's a cheerful little guy. Of which I am so glad, he pretty much cried his first year of life. He just turned two. He understands almost everything you tell him, he just doesn't talk much. 

Then at 3:00 this happened. Yep, a dump truck load of firewood. 

I stacked some. I did have a little help with Kip bringing me up a few pieces. My son and Kip said they'd come over tomorrow and stack it. Payment will be in the form of Culver's for dinner. I'm so thankful he helps me. 

It's cooler now, but lovely during the day.

Be safe, get your outside chores done. Winter is right around the corner.

Sue

Fall is upon us

 The nights are cooler, the days waiver between hot and chilly. I've built a couple fires in the wood burner. I have used the AC this week. Welcome to Ohio weather. I like fall. I like it for the cooler weather, fires in the fire pit, fresh apples and fresh cider from the local orchard, the smell of fall, the leaves, smoke from the chimneys. I can get my cozy sweaters out from storage. But.... This is a big but. I don't like fall because it means winter is coming. I've ordered a dump truck of wood. I'm cleaning up the garden beds. Yeah, I dislike being cold. 

I finished my Cabbage Rose hooked piece. I turned it into a pillow. 

I used a piece of gold and green striped wool for the back. It was a piece that I thought was maybe too bright for my primitive palate to hook with. But I think it looks great for the pillow. I got this wool in that box Lauren and I bought from Sharon Bennett. All the wool just feels so soft and lovely. 

Later today my neighbor and I are heading to the local Mennonite farm stand. They've got the greatest produce there. I'm hoping to find red beets. 

Have a blessed day, Sue 

What I'm Working On

 A few weeks ago I shared a post of many unfinished rug hooking items. Plus there are a couple that laid forgotten and not counted into the tally. So I've made myself a list and hope to complete at least two of the items per month. 

For August I finished this little heart. This must have been from when I was really new to hooking. It's on burlap. It just needed to be bound. The first wool yarn I tried to use just pulled apart when attempting to pull it through those tiny holes. I ended up using a dark gray wool yarn and whipped it. I used to do all my rugs this way. Now it is not my favorite way to bind.

I finished hooking the turkey rug. It has been steamed, zigzagged, etc.  The wool binding has been sewn onto the rug and I'm turning and securing it. I'm sure I'll get this done. There's not much left to do. 

On a fun note, Mac has been taking gocarting lessons. His grandpa has been taking Mac and his cousins to a racetrack in Fremont Ohio. Today was the cousin's first race. In two weeks Mac will be in his first race. Sounds fun and exciting. 

Now this is a fancy gocart. Nothing like the one I had for the kids when they were young.

In the Garden

 I'm starting to pull up my veggies. Prime growing time is over here in Ohio. These are the few carrots. It's about the same amount I got last year.

This is my first year at growing potatoes. When I went to harvest I came across a few slimy ones, so something has gotten to them. And they are two different colors. I haven't a clue why. 

I planted several pumpkins. This is the only one that came from a purposefully planted seed. It will be orange.

These other pumpkins came from a pumpkin I tossed into a garden bed last fall. I threw out the big orange pumpkins, some white pumpkins, and a blue squash pumpkin into this bed. Boy I wish the blue one was the one that self seeded itself. This pumpkin vine is in the middle of the strawberries. I counted 5 so far. The biggest one is a beige color, the others are white. 

The onions did pretty well this year. Not real big, but half a big basket full and they taste good.

And finally the tomatoes. They have done really well this year. I mostly just eat them raw or I roast them and make them into a soup base for taco soup. Yum. But I have been enjoying a tomato sandwich,just add a little mayo and a little salt. And presto, yummy delicious. 

It's going to be a hot, hot week. Be safe. 

Sue